What do all the settings actually mean?

[jd_jay]

I've been reading lots and lots of posts to see how these titles will perform on my new system I'm in the middle of purchasing. I do those by reading people comments on what settings they have and then look at what there system specs are etc etc.

 

But for a newbie like me, is there a post somewhere or some one kind enough to explain what all the graphic setting and abbreviations mean.

 

For example what does MSAA mean and what is the difference Between setting it from X4 and X16, and what effect does it have in game apart from giving you 2 more FPS

 

And what does disabling Vsync do to the graphics in game

 

Etc etc etc

 

Maybe has seen a post like this and has bookmarked it for future reference

 

Many thanks

[Skall]

Take a look at this guide.

 

http://www.geforce.com/optimize/guides/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-tweak-guide#1

 

While it is tailored specifically for Skyrim, it discusses topics like Vsync, MSAA, AF, etc. how they work, what they do and how much of a performance impact they might have.

 

Some people really notice some effects, others don't so you will have to play with the settings to see what you like and don't. Some people can't tell the difference between 8X and 16X anisotropic filtering but others can see it clear as day. Some people need MSAA, other's couldn't care less.

[PFunk1606688187]

One thing you'll find is that while all graphical settings have a kind of universal definition, their net effect at every different setting is unique to each title. There is usually a point of diminishing returns where the excess resources used for a higher setting provides almost no appreciable gain.

 

However, what I've noticed with DCS in particular is that my 4.5 year old machine does just fine with medium settings but takes a huge nose dive going anything near "high", but those high settings do look good. This game seems to scale pretty well with regards to quality versus performance at most levels (something not every game does).

 

If you're buying a new rig though, my assumption is that it'll probably be able to max out DCS or very nearly.